Leadership

Tom grew up in Anaheim California and graduated from Western High School in 1978. In 1979 he met Gayle  and a year later they were married. After a rough start, they began to attend church at the invitation of  Gayle’s older brother. After going to church on and off for about two years, on Easter Sunday 1987 Tom  committed his life to Christ and accepted Jesus as his Savior. His life was completely transformed and  from that moment until now his life’s purpose has been to know Him and make Him known. 

The Shook family started coming to Calvary Church in 1987 and entered the Practical Missionary Training  program under Pastors Fred Morse and Bob Foyle. During that time, they served in Children’s Ministry, International Students  Ministry and Church Planting Ministry. In 1992 their training was complete and the family was commissioned to serve the Lord in  Outer Mongolia, where they spent 17 years helping to establish the church. Upon completion of that work, Tom served as an Asia  division leader overseeing staff and heading up crisis response for Asia. In 2013 they moved to Malaysia to focus their energy on  reaching a country in North Asia. Tom returned to the US in 2019 and launched His Refuge a ministry to refugees and immigrants.  

Tom and Gayle have three children and 11 grandchildren, all living in Southern California. Before becoming a Missionary with  Calvary, Tom worked as a shop foreman in the metal manufacturing business here in Orange County. In his free time, Tom enjoys  budget restoration of classic cars. He has restored a 1964 VW beetle, 1962 Ford Falcon and his current project is a 1969 VW bus. 

Term: July 2023-July 2026